At 12 45, Elijah left Town W for Town X, driving at a speed of 81 km/h. At 14 45, Julian also left Town W for Town X driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 17 45, both of them passed a mall that was 243 km away from Town X. How many minutes earlier did Julian reach Town X than Elijah?

Distance that Elijah travelled
= 5 x 81
= 405 km

Distance between Town W and Town X
= 405 + 243
= 648 km

Since Julian passed the mall at the same time as Elijah, it means that Julian travelled 405 km in 3 hours.

Julian's speed during the journey
= 405 ÷ 3
= 135 km/h

Duration that Julian took to reach Town X after passing the mall
= 243 ÷ 135
= 1.8 h

Duration that Elijah took to reach Town X after passing the mall
= 243 ÷ 81
= 3 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town X
= 3 - 1.8
= 1.2 h

1 h = 60 min
1.2 h = 1.2 x 60 = 72 min

Julian reached Town X 72 minutes earlier than Elijah.

Answer(s): 72 min